Re: Learn From This: Iowa Interstate Accident
Daytime running lights (front only) are standard many new cars but not all. Many mid-range to upscale models have automatic lights front and back, but many people may not have had them either switched to that position or the condtions weren't dark of them to trigger. On cars with no automatic lights, most people do not turn them on in good weather.
The cost of street lights (column lights) is prohibitive for the nearly 50,000 miles of interstate highway (high speed, multiple-lane, fully-divided) so they are usually just installed near exits and high traffic areas. This accident was in a rural area, so I expect that the only lights were right at the exit where the accident began but were not installed where the cars/trucks backed up.
I can't tell whether people turned on their hazard lights once they were hit (most likely many were dealing with airbags and shock) but I have driven enough in these conditions to know that the visibility was probably very low. All the more reason the drivers should have been driving much slower.